today - cortland business · the bdc is cortland county’s principal econic development...

Photo by Roger William Theise

Cortland CountySnow on a Friday, 70 degrees on a Monday.

That’s the way it is in these parts but it’s

what makes our four-season climate so

unique!

And while the official start of Spring seems to be

a bit before the actual start of spring weather, we

know we’re getting close once the Maple Festival

in Marathon and the Masters Tournament in

Georgia have been completed.

Check and check.

This issue includes some great features on

a couple of great—but perhaps unsung—

businesses in Cortland County: Precision

Eforming in South Cortland and Cortland Seafood

in the city. Each business is totally different, of

course, but each one has a solid foundation in

Cortland County and each one is an important

and unique component of our local economy.

We’ve also shared some information on the city’s

investigation whether to change Main Street back

to two-way, a proposal for a new hotel tax in the

city, and a proposal to open up land in the town

of Cortlandville for new gas station development.

We hope you enjoy the issue and please contact

us with any comments or questions you may

have.

The BDC is Cortland County’s principal econ o mic development organization working for economic and community growth. Together, its programs, projects, and services aim to sup port existing businesses while promoting other job-creating opportunities across the county.

TODAY: Cortland County is the Business Development Corporation’s newsletter promoting industry and business growth in Cortland County.

March/April 2017Volume 3 Issue 2

Garry L. VanGorderExecutive Director/CEO

Michael McMahonChairman

TODAY:

2 / March/April 2017 n TODAY: Cortland County

30Days the original Main Street

conversion to one-way was supposed to last

50Years since the change was made

900Parking spaces in downtown

Cortland

If life is about change, or proposed change, we are

living it up these days in Cortland County. Consider:

• The city is actively considering whether a one-way

main street should be converted back to two-way

after a 50-year trial run. The original conversion

occurred in 1967 and was intended for only a 30-day

test;

• The city is also considering whether to pursue a three percent occupancy tax on hotels

that would help fund infrastructure projects in and around the Interstate 81 exit 11.

The county already collects a five percent occupancy tax and distributes it to organi-

zations promoting tourism and bringing visitors to county hotels;

• The county has proposed increasing its sales tax from eight to 8.5 percent in an

effort to raise revenues supporting debt retirement and the construction of a new jail.

Legislators say the sales tax, which applies to all qualified purchases in the county, is

preferable to property tax increases;

• One of the longest-tenured buildings in South Cortland, the former McDonald’s

restaurant, has been leveled to make room for a new branch of Summit Federal

Credit Union, which is relocating and expanding from its long-time downtown loca-

tion. The transformation of the Route 13/281 corridor continues;

• The former Crescent Corset building on south Main Street will be renovated to sup-

port new loft-style market rate apartments and commercial space, helping to bring

new vitality to the south end of the city;

• New life will also be seen at the former Buckbee-Mears complex on the city’s east side

when wood chip manufacturer Jenlor begins operations there later this year. The site

has been vacant since 2007; and,

• Cortland Regional Medical Center, after 125 years in business, will announce an

affiliation with another facility later this year in an effort to stabilize finances, save

jobs and preserve quality health for the Cortland community.

These are but a few of the changes proposed or underway in Cortland County, and

there is promise for many more as we head into the heart of the year. Change is inevit-

able, and sometimes unwelcome, but it is the way of things. Let’s keep moving forward.

March/April 2017 Volume 3 Issue 2

37 Church St., Cortland, NY 13045P: 607/756-5005

[email protected]

Garry L. VanGorderExecutive Director/CEO

the front desk

On the cover: (left to right), Jeff Fox, Debbie Quick and Rob White are among a handful of employees at Precision Eforming, a Cortland-based company that produces precision microscale metal pieces for customers worldwide.

30Days the original Main Street

conversion to one-way was supposed to last

50Years since the change was made

900Parking spaces in downtown

Cortland

March/April 2017 n TODAY: Cortland County / 3

main street

Two-way Main Street?The Cortland City Council should have on

its agenda next month a resolution consid-

ering whether to adopt a recently-completed

study focusing on whether Main Street

should remain one way.

A well-attended public hearing on the topic

was held April 3, featuring a presentation by

consultants commissioned to perform the

study. Part of the study was funded through

a state grant.

“People have their own perspectives but

clearly, if the topic was going to continue to

come up, there needed to be some in-depth

analysis,” said BDC executive director

Garry VanGorder. “I think the city got

what it paid for.”

The study provided options for new traffic

patterns for Main and Church streets, and

also addressed potential new parking strate-

gies and pedestrian safety.

With the study complete, the city’s accep-

tance of it may eventually lead to some

long-term planning for what changes might

be made and how they would be funded.

Town Gas LawThe BDC provided the lone supporting com-

mentary during a recent public hearing ad-

dressing a potential zone change in the town

of Cortlandville that would allow construc-

tion of new filling stations in select areas.

More than a dozen others spoke against the

change.

New service stations are now essentially

barred from locating anywhere in the

town as an unintended consequence of

its long-standing commitment to aquifer

protection. Despite opponents’ fears that

more stations over the aquifer constitute a

direct threat to the water supply, the town

defends the proposal with well-documented

advances in site construction and monitor-

ing as well as expert opinion that the threat

is overblown.

“While the risk of gas stations to water

supplies is not zero, there have been gas

stations over critical parts of the aquifer

for decades with no impact on municipal

water supplies,” Pat Ready, a water quality

specialist, told the Cortland Standard after

the hearing. “What the town is proposing is

similar to what many communities across

the country have already adopted, and is

more restrictive than what many other

com mun ities have adopted. Regulations for

the operations of gas stations have greatly

improved over the years, and studies have

shown that gasoline contamination doesn’t

migrate far in groundwater. I don’t think

Cortlandville’s adoption of this law would

be irresponsible or unreasonable.”

The BDC supports the proposal as a busi-

ness development issue, with VanGorder

arguing that the benefits —potential capital

investment, job creation and tax genera-

tion—far outweigh any risks.

The town is weighing all comments before

deciding on a course of action.

City Occupancy TaxThe City of Cortland is considering imple-

mentation of a three percent “bed tax” for

hotels within the city limits. The tax, which

must be approved by the council and also

the state legislature, would come in addi-

tion to the existing five percent bed tax now

charged at all county hotels. The city would

use the revenue for dedicated infrastructure

projects in the Route 81 exit 11 neighbor-

hood. The county Convention and Visitors

Bureau and the Hotel and Restaurant Asso-

ciation are opposing the increase, fearing

it may take customers to properties either

outside the city or county.

Ken and Susie Poole, Derek Poole, and Branden and Rebekah Brown were named the BDC’s “Farm Family of the Year” for their innovative operations at Trinity Valley farm near Truxton. The family was honored along with 2017 “Friend of Agriculture” awardee Bill Anderson during the annual Agriculture Recognition Banquet March 21 at Tinelli’s Hathaway House.


Cortland County is home to many businesses and indus-

tries that provide a broad range of goods and services to

a diverse national and international clientele. Among the

more unique companies based in the area is Precision

Eforming, located in the Cortland Commerce Center on

Route 13 in the City of Cortland.

E-forming—short for electroforming—

is a method of precision metal making

that is key to the fabrication of micro-

scale metal pieces: It is a specialized

“additive process” through which high

precision mesh products are created by

electro-deposition onto a surface and are

then removed.

Using pure gold, nickel or copper, de-

pending on the customer’s needs, Preci-

sion Eforming chemically deposits thin

layers of metal, atom by atom, building

each custom piece to the client’s specifica-

tions. “Think of it like plating a chrome

finish to a car bumper,” explains Julie

Griffin, company owner and president,

“except in our process, the finished prod-

uct is the metal layer itself, which is re-

moved from the surface on which it was

deposited.”

Compared with other metal forming pro-

cesses such as casting, forging, stamping

or machining, electroforming is highly

success story

Precision EformingThis fabricator of precision microscale metal parts has seen its products used in everything from smartphones and MRI machines to sifting diamond dust and soil from the moon.

effective when requirements call for extreme preci-

sion, tight tolerances or complexity in design. The

process allows for finer geometries to be produced

to tighter tolerances while maintaining superior

edge definition with a near optical finish. “Electro-

formed metal is extremely pure, with superior prop-

erties over wrought metal due to its refined crystal

structure,” Griffin says. “The proprietary process

enables the company to manufacture the most con-

sistent and accurate materials with exceptional sur-

face finish properties and stability.”

Precision Eforming uses this technology to produce

a line of ultra-precision sieves which, in the same

manner as a common kitchen or garden sieve, is

used to sift material into smaller and smaller grades.

Super-fine electroformed sieves are used in precision

sensitive areas of the powder industry, which include

diamond abrasives, nuclear fuels, alumina, ceram-

ics, metals and powders. “Our sieves are also used

by NASA and have been to space for sifting lunar

dust,” Griffin says. Precision Eforming products are

also involved in light and sound filtration systems

for sensors, MRI machines, ion chambers, chem-

ical sniffing devices, smartphones, microphones

and more.

While the company has been located in Cortland

since 2002, its founding dates back to 1907 with

Charles E. Buckbee and Norman T. Mears, when

they collaborated to establish Buckbee-Mears

Company, a small photoengraving plant in St. Paul,

Minnesota.

After watching the business grow for many years,

Norman’s son, Norman B. Mears, became involved

with developing new metal etching technology

and pushed for expansion of the business into

photo chemical reproduction during World War II.

When the U.S. Navy needed grids etched on the

eyepieces of military equipment, Mears’ technology

led to the development of the metal reticle. During

peacetime, he found a way to use this technology to

Julie Griffin is owner and president of Precision Eforming. She took over the company in 2015.


originate processes and equipment for making color

television aperture masks.

Early in the 1960s, Buckbee-Mears was working

with General Electric on a project that required

specifications in aperture size and thickness that

were difficult to achieve with the photoetching

process. To meet these new product requirements,

electroforming was introduced.

After many years of developing and improving the

electroforming process, the division was relocated

to the Buckbee-Mears facilities in Cortland, New

York in 2002. In late 2003, Buckbee-Mears Com-

pany announced that they would be selling the

assets of its Cortland, New York location, which

was being phased out so Buckbee-Mears could

concentrate on its optical lens business. The man-

agers of the electroforming division understood the

potential of e-forming technology and, in 2004,

partnered with a Syracuse investment firm (Torridon

Companies) to purchase the electro forming di-

vision. In 2015, the investment firm offered Julie

Griffin, who had been with Precision Eforming for

15 years, the opportunity to purchase and take over

the company.

Today, Precision Eforming has more than 100

customers divided roughly 50-50 between do-

mestic and international. Its 10,000-sq.-ft. facility

employs 10. “We’re a strong, successful company

and we’re doing great,” Griffin says. “A big reason

for our success is our staff—these are people I went

to school with and worked with at Buckbee-Mears,

which adds a feeling of family, of community, to ev-

erything we do here. I’m excited about our future.”

Fast Facts• Manufacturer of precision

microscale metal pieces

• Specializes in high precision mesh/sieve/filter products

• Used for sifting diamond dust, nuclear fuels, alumina, ceramics, metals, powders and more

• Used by NASA to sift lunar dust

• 10,000-sq.-ft. facility

• 10 employees

• 100+ domestic and international customers

As part of the production process, sieve material is welded to a round form then trimmed and finished with a protective collar to hold it securely.

Jeff Fox (left) and Rob White use microscopes to examine newly electroformed screens, ensuring there are no flaws in the finished product. Photos by Roger William Theise


Businesses have access to numerous resources at the local, state, regional

and federal level to help them succeed. In addition to Cortland County’s Business Assis tance Programs, here are other re-sources to help your business:

Cortland County Government60 Central AvenueCortland, NY 13045cortland-co.org

County Planning Department37 Church StreetCortland, NY 13045cortland-co.org/Planning/index.html

Cortland County Health Department60 Central AvenueCortland, NY 13045cchd.cortland-co.org/

City of Cortland25 Court StreetCortland, NY 13045cortland.org

Town of Cortlandville3577 Terrace RoadCortland, NY 13045cortlandville.org

Town of Homer31 N. Main StreetHomer, NY 13077townofhomer.org

Village of HomerHomer, NY 13077homerny.org

For more resources visit us online at cortlandbusiness.com/resources/

resourcesCortland County BDC Revolving Loan Fund ProgramThe BDC facilitates business recruitment and retention in many ways, including the man-agement of its $500,000 revolving loan fund.

Dozens of loans have been granted over the years as an alternative to or complement to tradi-tional loan financing. While our underwriting is designed to protect the agency’s investment, it is also structured in a way that recognizes the challenges new and existing small businesses face in today’s competitive marketplace.

Eligible borrowers include for-profit manufacturing, professional, service, and commercial businesses. Retail businesses will also be considered on a case-by-case basis. Eligible appli-cants include sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporations, and limited liability corpora-tions. At least 50 percent of a project cost must be provided by the borrower (bank or private financing, borrower equity).

Loans are capped at $100,000 or 50 percent of eligible project costs, whichever is less. The minimum loan amount is $10,000. For complete details call our office at 607/756-5005 or see the website at cortlandbusiness.com.

State Approves Shared Services PlanningThe 2017 state budget includes a new law that requires each county outside of New York City to prepare a plan for shared, coordinated and efficient services among the units of local governments contained within the county.

The initiative was a budget priority for Governor Andrew Cuomo, who touted it as a way to drive down the cost of local government. Others, however, questioned the plan’s potential and wonder why a legitimate cost-saver—a reduction in state mandates that are crushing local spending plans—continues to be ignored.

The proposal survived the budget process in a somewhat weaker form as it no longer ties county plan approvals to a public referendum and the threatened withholding of state aid should the plans fail.

The new shared services plan would be prepared by each county’s chief executive officer in consultation with a shared services panel comprising the chief elected official from each city, village and town in the county. School districts, BOCES and special districts may be invited to participate.

During the development of the plan, the county must regularly consult with the members of the shared services panel as well as representatives from each collective bargaining unit from the county and every city, village and town within the county. Three public hearings must be held as part of the process. The plan would then have to be submitted to the county legislative body by August 1, 2017, at which point the county could make additional recommendations or changes. The county must approve the plan in a majority vote, but each member of the shared services panel may elect to be exempted from the plan.

If the plan is not approved, the county must then follow the same procedures to try to produce a county-wide shared services plan by August 1, 2018. There is no requirement to develop plans in any year beyond 2018.

Each county plan shall be eligible for one-time state matching funding (subject to appropria-tion) for plan savings that are achieved in the calendar year immediately following adoption of the plan.


resources

For close to 50 years, seafood fans have swarmed to Cortland

Seafood, located on Pendleton Street, for the best in fresh

seafood and seafood dinners.

It was back in the 1970s when Phil Niver Sr. took over the business

from the Biviano family, who, after years of moving from rented

property to rented property, had finally purchased land and built a

permanent fish market. After 15 years of operation, the Bivianos had

decided to sell the business, and began searching for a new owner.

At the same time, Niver was in the market to buy a new business.

After years of doing road construction in summers and factory work

during winters, he had bought a rundown restaurant in Blodgett

Mills and turned it into a successful operation, which he had

recently sold. He knew he didn’t want to work for someone else

again, and had begun looking for a new business in which to invest.

The Bivianos’ seafood market seemed ideal.

“The Bivianos had already gone through a dozen potential buyers,

but none was what they were looking for,” says Phil Niver Jr., who

now owns and runs Cortland Seafood. “After interviewing for

four hours and going through three pots of coffee, Dad apparently

showed that he had the smarts and devotion to make it successful

and continue on. He got the call agreeing to the sale the next day.”

It was the perfect move. Over time, Phil Niver Sr., who passed away

in 2011, turned the humble establishment into a well-respected,

in-demand Cortland County food business—a tradition Phil Jr. has

continued to maintain.

Cortland Seafood is divided between fresh seafood sales, which is

roughly 60 percent of the business, and restaurant takeout, which

comprises about 40 percent. Niver supplies both wholesale and retail

customers. Haddock is his most popular sale item in both the fresh

and restaurant takeout categories. Come summertime, littleneck

clams are also in big demand.

Cortland Seafood has many devoted

fans who visit regularly from near and

Cortland Seafood: Providing Customers with the Best in Fresh Seafood and Seafood Meals for Nearly Half a Century

Phil Niver Jr., shown here with his wife Tammy, began working for his father at Cortland Seafood at the age of 7. He took over the business in 1995.

far. Following is a sample of the five-star-rated Facebook comments

the business has received:

“We bought 400 littleneck clams here. They were probably the

best we have had in a long time, and certainly the best in the

area. All our guests enjoyed them and complimented us. We

were pleased to recommend Cortland Seafood to all of them!”

“[Cortland Seafood is the] only place in the area to even consider

buying seafood. Great quality, great prices and great service! Phil

Niver is extremely committed to exceeding the expectations of

all who walk through his door. Thank you, Phil!”

Niver began working for his father at Cortland Seafood when he

was 7 years old, and says the place has always been a second home

for him. “When I got older I considered different jobs,” he recalls,

“but then Dad took me aside and said, ‘Look, I don’t know when

it will happen, but I will sell the business to you one day,’ which he

did in 1995.

“Here it is 22 years later, and I still like to come to work every day,”

says Niver, who runs Cortland Seafood with his wife Tammy and

three part-time student workers. “I enjoy the challenges. Some parts

of the business are fairly repetitious, but with others, there’s always

something new. Purchasing, pricing, product availability—it all

keeps me on my toes.”

“I enjoy the challenges. … Purchasing,

pricing, product availability—it all keeps me

on my toes.” —Phil Niver, OwnerCortland Seafood

37 Church Street, Cortland, NY 13045

Phone: (607) 756-5005 Fax: (607) 756-7901 cortlandbusiness.com

Cortland County offers the best in small town living with easy access to some of the nation’s top metro centers.

E Printed on recycled paper

More than 1,000 athletes will descend on Cortland County during the month of June as participants in the 2017 Empire

State Senior Games. Now in its 36th year, the Empire State Senior Games are coordinated by the Cortland Regional Sports Council. Cortland County has been the permanent home of the games since 2011, after the State of New York elected to no longer run the event.

Taking place June 10-18, events in the Senior Games are open to anyone 50 years of age or older. Close to 20 sports are represented, including tennis, golf, swimming, track & field, basketball, bowling, archery, badminton, cycling and ping pong.

Many events have men’s and women’s divisions and accommodate singles, doubles and mixed doubles. A Masters Division will debut this year in swimming, track & field, bowling and archery with the goal of creating additional interest in the competition and drawing an even larger field of athletes.

Local venues such as Cort-Lanes Bowling Center, Elm Tree Golf Course, Lime Hollow Nature Center, Tompkins Cortland Community College and several sites on the SUNY Cortland campus serve as event locations. A complete schedule of events is posted on the Senior Games website: nyseniorgames.com.

The Empire State Senior Games: 2017 Event to Take Place in Cortland County June 10-18

Vicki Fox is an Empire State Senior Games competitor from Centerport, New York.

“Every other year is a qualifying year, when seniors compete to go on to the National Senior Games,” says Machell Phelps, executive director of the Cortland Regional Sports Council (CRSC). “During a qualifier year, more than 1,500 senior athletes come to Cortland to

compete. For the non-qualifiers, it’s 1,100-1,200. That’s a lot of visitors spending a lot of money in the region.”

The National Senior Games are held every two years in various cities around the United States. The games in Cortland are the only avenue in New York State to qualify for nationals.

Since 2005, the CRSC has helped attract more than $20 million to the region through this and a host of other amateur sporting events.

The CRSC welcomes and appreciates the contributions of volunteers who pitch in when the Empire State Senior Games are held. “We also have a range of opportunities for businesses or groups to sponsor and help support the games,” Phelps says. “I encourage anyone interested

in getting involved to contact us and explore those opportunities.”

Registration and additional information on the Empire State Senior Games can be found online at nyseniorgames.com or by calling 800-859-2227.

today - cortland business · the bdc is cortland county’s principal econic development...

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